1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to intravenous catheters and needle assemblies, and more particularly, to an intravenous catheter and needle assembly configured to provide a substantially closed and sterile environment of intravenous access to the health care professional.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Intravenous needles have been in use for many years and are a necessary and indispensable part of patient healthcare in hospitals, nursing facilities, ambulances, and other environments where access into patient blood vessels or other passageways is necessary.
In the treatment of certain diseases, intravenous therapy is irreplaceable and permits medication to directly enter a patient""s bloodstream for substantially faster absorption than by medications taken orally.
Unfortunately, there are a number of serious drawbacks inherent in intravenous needles making them difficult and cumbersome to use as well as a potentially dangerous vehicle for the spread of infections and disease. Initially, it is seen that intravenous needle usage typically results in localized bleeding at a patient""s puncture point. The presence of blood, of course, during intravenous treatment poses an immediate threat of patient trauma and fear resulting from the sight of blood. Such trauma may, in some cases, result in a patient refusing further intravenous needle usage. Another danger posed by blood during intravenous therapy is the possible exposure to the healthcare professional to a variety of potentially lethal and contagious viruses, such as AIDS, for example, that may be carried in a patient""s blood stream.
Intravenous needle assemblies generally are structured for use in an open and possibly unsterile system. In addition to putting the healthcare professional at risk, intravenous therapy typically involves exposing a patient""s blood directly to the ambient air supply and greatly increases the risk of introducing a host of bacterial infections, germs, viruses, and other harmful pathogens and toxins to a patient""s body.
Healthcare professionals have resorted to a variety of techniques designed to alleviate these problems. One makeshift solution is to apply localized pressure to the puncture point of a patient in an effort to control and reduce bleeding. Such an effort, although helpful, has been generally difficult and cumbersome to coordinate during intravenous therapy and depends primarily upon the skill and training of the healthcare practitioner. Other solutions have involved securing a gel cap or other sealing device to an intravenous catheter after insertion into a patient. Not only does use of a separate gel cap or sealing device add significant cost to a needle assembly, but such practices, unfortunately, still require a healthcare professional to temporarily apply localized pressure near a puncture point until the sealing device can be properly secured. Again, the success of these measures have been quite limited and depend primarily upon the care, attention, and training of the healthcare professional. Even where properly utilized, however, a patient is left exposed during the time interval that exists between initial needle insertion and proper sealing. Furthermore, securing a gel cap or other sealing device after insertion of an intravenous needle is an awkward, cumbersome, and time-consuming process and typically requires a two-handed approach demanding quick maneuvering and coordinated dexterity on the part of the healthcare professional.
Accordingly, there is an established need for a sealed sterile intravenous catheter and needle assembly that overcomes the aforementioned problems and deficiencies and provides a substantially closed and sterile environment for intravenous access to a patient.
The present invention is directed to a sealed sterile intravenous catheter and needle assembly providing a substantially closed and sterile environment for intravenous access to a patient.
An object of the present invention is to provide a sealed sterile intravenous catheter and needle assembly configured to substantially reduce the bleeding typically associated with intravenous needle use.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a sealed sterile intravenous catheter and needle assembly that reduces the risk of patient infection by minimizing exposure to the external environment.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a sealed sterile intravenous catheter and needle assembly that substantially reduces the risk of exposing healthcare workers to potential infections arising from contact with patient blood.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a sealed sterile intravenous catheter and needle assembly that permits insertion of the needle assembly in a closed sterile system.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a sealed sterile intravenous catheter and needle assembly that can easily be made compatible for use with needle-less syringes.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a sealed sterile intravenous catheter and needle assembly which eliminates the need for a healthcare professional to perform the additional step of securing a gel cap assembly in place after insertion of a catheter assembly.
It is also an object of the present invention is to provide a sealed sterile intravenous catheter and needle assembly designed to substantially reduce patient anxiety and trauma resulting from the sight of a blood leak resulting from intravenous needle use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a sealed sterile intravenous catheter and needle assembly that substantially streamlines the process of intravenous catheter and needle usage and assembly.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a sealed sterile intravenous catheter and needle assembly that eliminates the need for a healthcare professional to apply constant and continual pressure to a patient""s body near the puncture point of an intravenous catheter and needle assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a sealed sterile intravenous catheter and needle assembly wherein the sealed catheter assembly and gel cap portion are configured as a cost-effective one-piece unitary body rather than as a number of separately available components.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a sealed sterile intravenous catheter and needle assembly configured as an easily assembled saline lock as desired.
In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, a sealed sterile intravenous catheter and needle assembly having a substantially closed and sterile environment is provided. The sealed sterile intravenous catheter is removably secured to a needle assembly and includes a tubular catheter portion, a catheter nozzle portion, and a gel cap portion aligned axially about a central axis to form a sealed flow passageway therethru. The gel cap portion also includes a hollow gel cap hub having a gel cap formed of an elastic material to substantially seal the gel cap portion of the sealed catheter. Additionally, the needle assembly includes a needle configured to matingly cooperate with the sealed catheter assembly and pierce through the gel cap and sealed flow passageway of the sealed catheter assembly in a fully extended position. The needle will also be structured to fully retract for safe disposal after use.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the attached drawings and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, which follow.